What time is it? Answer: it's Daylight Savings Time, which means that you are an hour behind the rest of the world if you didn't spring ahead last night before bed. For astronomers, the end of Standard Time is a tale of give and take. For the good news, no more need to get up really early to observe the sky (for a few weeks, anyway) but a new need to stay up late as darkness gets pushed back an hour overnight.
So, for one last time, why not try and make the most of the late morning?
Besides forcing one to wait an hour longer in order get dark skies, the return of Daylight Savings Time means that, literally overnight, the summer constellations take a big step into morning visibility, for a short while until the lengthening of the days pushes sunrise earlier and earlier. Want to get a summer preview of Scorpius, Sagittarius, and the Summer Triangle among others? Well, now's your chance.
See also: DST Trivia
By springing the clocks forward, nightfall is pushed back an hour. So, the days we have left to observe the winter sky in the dark will be numbered, which is a real bummer, especially considering that December through February is cloud season in much of the United States, meaning that astronomers get very little chances to view the winter sky as is.
So, wherever you live, be sure to get out and view the early morning sky as, clouds willing,the summer sky holds some of the best deep sky objects and constellations of all the seasons. Whether you are strictly observational, photographic, or a combination of both, there is much enjoyment to be had in the morning, so don't let Daylight Savings Time bum you out.
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